Real Homemade Tamales

I looked for a good tamales recipe for years. One day I went to the international market and stood in the Mexican aisle until a woman with a full cart came by. I just asked her if she knew how to make tamales. This is her recipe with a few additions from me. The pork can be replaced with either chicken or beef. This is great served with refried beans and a salad.

• Preparation Time: 35 mins
• Cooking Time: 3 hr
• Total Time: 3 hr 35 mins
• Calories: 236 Calories

Ingredients

• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 2 cups water
• 1 large onion, halved
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 ¼ pounds pork loin
• 1 (8 ounce) package dried corn husks
• ⅔ cup lard
• 2 cups masa harina
• 4 dried chile peppers
• 1 (10.5 ounce) can beef broth, or as needed

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Remove husks from water and pat dry. Spread dough out over husks to 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick.

Step 2

Arrange tamales in a steamer basket. Place over simmering water and steam for 1 hour.

Step 3

Remove tamales from husks. Drizzle with remaining chile sauce and top with sour cream, or mix sour cream into chile sauce first for a creamy sauce.

Step 4

Make filling: Place pork, onion, and garlic in a Dutch oven. Add enough water to cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until pork is cooked through, about 2 hours.

Step 5

Meanwhile, make chile sauce: Use rubber gloves to remove stems and seeds from chiles. Place chiles in a saucepan with 2 cups water. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.

Step 6

Transfer chiles and cooking water to a blender and blend until smooth. Strain mixture into a bowl and stir in salt. Set aside.

Step 7

Shred cooked pork and mix in 1 cup chile sauce. Reserve remaining sauce for serving.

Step 8

Prepare husks and dough: Soak corn husks in a bowl of warm water until softened, about 30 minutes.

Step 9

While the husks are soaking, beat lard with 1 tablespoon broth until fluffy. Combine masa harina, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl; stir into the lard mixture, adding more broth as needed to form a spongy dough.

Step 10

Place 1 tablespoon pork filling over center of each. Fold the sides, top, and bottom of each husk in toward the center to enclose dough.